Belt-buckle



l.. F. OTTEN.

lBELT BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I4, I92I.

1,393,721. Patented Oct. 11,1921. 'I

Jim1/enfer.'

UNITED STATES LAWRENCE F. OTTEN, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY.

BELT-BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patent-ed oet. 11, '11921.

Application filed March 14, 1921. Serial No. 451,976.;

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE F. O'r'rnN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Newport, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt- Buckles, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates'to belt buckles and moreV particularly to those used upon belts for personal wear.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a belt buckle of efficient and eco nomical construction, which is adapted to securely grasp and hold the belt upon the wearer at any point without `the necessity of weakening the belt by perforations to receive the ordinary tongue of a buckle as heretofore made. Y i

It is another object of my invention to so construct a belt buckle as to have a minimum of parts and yet toobtain a secure fastening of the belt.

Itis another object of my invention to provide a buckle that is readily adapted to be released with a minimum of movement on the part of the wearer and, at the Sametime, to make the releasing action positive so as to insure the release of the belt when desired.

My invention consists in providing a belt buckle having a minimum of parts readily adapted to secure the leading end of the belt and fasten it in place, and also to enable the wearer to easily release the end of the belt in a positive manner with a minimum of movement and effort.

My invention further consists in the con# struction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein set forth and claimed. In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front side of my improved device applied to a belt.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. `Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken in a planeY corresponding to the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and showingtheparts in gripping relation. Fig. 4 is a similar view, with the parts in released relation. Y

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section taken in a plane corresponding to the line 5-5 of i 3. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the gripping member.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the operatmember. y improved buckle comprises a plate l() which may be of any suitable shape.' I have illustrated this plate formed with a rounded front for instance of convex form. The plate has integrally formed therewith slides 11 having inwardly turnedlips 12. The inwardly turned lips, sides, and plate form a channel for positioning the free end 13 of the belt. 1

Upwardly turned ears 111- are formed on the sides 11 adjacent oneend of the plate. A pin 15 has its reduced ends 16 firmly secured in holes 17 of the ears, as by being riveted over as shown at 18. A gripping member 20 has a bearing -21 received about the pin which may consist of af curl 22 integrally formed with the curved ping member. may besuch as to follow the path ofv a circle whose center is distanced from the axis of the pin 15. The body of the gripping member has on its outer surface, teeth 25 having undercut surfaces 26 and upper sloping` surfaces 27. Surfaces 26 and 27 merge in gripping points 28. The teeth are preferably inf clined in a direction toward the outer lip 29 on the body of the gripping member. The body of the gripping member is preferably also curved yin the direction of the axis of the bearing y21 thereon to `conform to the shape of the plate.'

For actuating the gripping member, an actuating member 33 consists of a Ll shaped loop 341 having bearings 35 formed on the tangs 36 thereof received about the pin The tangs are connected by a cross piece 37. The bearings on the actuating member are journaled about the pin, between the upturned earsand the ends of the bearing 21 on the gripping member. vThe bearing on the gripping member is preferably shorter than the body thereof. This permits the bearings 35 on the actuating member to o'c cupy the space about the pin between the ends of the curl 22 and the side edges of the gripping member. Thus the combined lengths of the bearings 21 and 35 are equal to thegreatest width of the gripping membody 23 of the grip- The curvature of the body;`

ber. Lugs 38 on the bearings 35 are adapted f to contact stops 39 on the gripping member. When the actuating member is in such position as to lieapproximately` in the plane of' actuating member is moved at approximately right angles to the plane of the belt the lugs on the bearings contact the stops on the gripping members and disengage Y the teeth thereon, from the free end of the belt and thus permit it to be released and withdrawn from the buckle. Y

For forcing the teeth of the grippingV cured by a snap fastener 44 to an intermev diate portion of the belt. A retaining band is secured to the belt to .retain thefree end thereof extending beyond the end of the buckle.

Vhenit is desired to fasten the belt, the free end is passed throughthe channeland under the gripping member, the actuating member being held in the up position away from the-buckle. In thispositionrthe lugs 38 on the actuating member 33 vContact the stops 39 on the gripping member, thus hold* ing it away from the plate lOfOrming a space 48 to permit the uninterrupted pas? sage of the free end of the belt. The end is thendrawn to give the belt the desired degree of tightness and the actuating member released. The pressure exerted by the. wearer on the belt pulls down the actuating member, so as to force the tangs 36 into con tactwith the stops on the gripping member. This action forces the teethinto engagement with the belt. The teeth being formed on the eccentric outline of the gripping membeiz tension on the belt will have the eifect of.V4

forcing the teeth more firmly into the surf Y face thereof and wedging it securely in place Vping member and against unintentional release.

Should it bedesired tov release thefree end from the buckle, the belt is Agrasped by the left hand adjacent the actuating member and pushed toward the buckle held in the right hand. This will rotate the ac y tuating member about thepin, the lugs 38,

thereon contacting the stops 39 on the grippullingthe same out of engagement. with the free end ofthe belt readily permitting it to be,V drawn out of thebuckle.k l l What li claim as new and'useful and desire to secureby Letters Patent is l. ln a belt buckle, a plate, a channel in said plate, a Abelt `adapted 'to ,pass through said channel, upturned ears on said plate,

a pivot on said ears, a serrated cam having movement about said pivot for engaging Vsaid belt, an actuating member separate from the grippingv member having move ment about said pivot adapted to selectively and positively force said caminto engagement with one portion of the said belt or disengage it therefrom, and means for atl taching said actuating member to another portion of said belt. Y

2. In a belt buckle, a plate, upturned ears onV said plate, a gripping member, a separate actuating member for said gripping member, a pin secured in said cars for combinedly pivoting said gripping vmember and said actuating member, a stop on the end Y of said gripping member, a lug on the end of said actuating member adapted to engage said stop on said gripping member for.

compelling combined movement of* saidk members in one direction, and an additional stop on the end of said grippingmember adapted to contactV said vactuating member for compelling .combined movement in the other direction, the last named stop so placed as to be Vdistancedfrom the actuating member when the first named stop is in contactwith'the said lug thereon.

3. In a belt buckle, a plate, a'channelin said plate, a belt adapted toV freelypass through said channel, upwardly turned ears on said plate, a pivot pin secured to saidv ears, a gripping member for gripping. said belt comprising a sleeve bearing `pivoted aboutsaid pin, a curved body whose outline is eccentric withl referenceto theaxis ofsaid bearing` and whose width' is relatively vgreater than-the length of said sleeve bear ing, stops Von the ends 'of said :bodyat the ends of said sleevebearing, stops on lthe ends'v ofsaid body distan'ced from said first namedY stops, and teeth on the Vouter surface of ,said body inclined in a direction away fromsaid bearing, a separate actuating member com` a U shaped loop consisting ofa cross prising piece about which. one-'end of said locltis adapted formed on said cross piece adapted to co-. act with said second named stops to engage saidgrippingmember with saidvbelt wherebv it is secured in said channel,bearingsV on the ends of said. tangs, and lugs onsaid -to besecured, and depending tangsv icc ics

iic

bearings so placed as -to 'co-act with said first named stopslto disengage said gripping member fromY said belt when said Vactuating member is moved about said pin in a direcl tion away from the plane of saidplate, sub- Vstantially as setforth and for thepurpose specified.

' LAWRENCE' FQ omen-;- 

